We wonder if Stefano Venier knew what a hit his ‘Tractor V75‘
would be when he created it. Based on a 90s-model NTX 750, it struck a
balance between looks and usability—and has since kicked off a series of
builds.
This is ‘Tractor 03,’ and it’s been built using a more modern
donor—the 2011 Moto Guzzi V7. Just like its predecessors, it’s been
given a hefty dose of scrambler style. And, in typical Venier Customs fashion, it looks absolutely factory fresh.
Part of the Guzzi’s charm is a subtle aesthetic that Stefano prides
himself on. “I have a few extreme builds I’m currently working on,” he
says, “but most of my builds have to look like motorcycles—not customs.”
Stefano’s Italian—but he lives in New York. On this project, he roped
in local builder Lou Neziri to handle some of the fabrication, assembly
and paint duties.
The first part to get swapped out was the V7’s tank—in its place is
Venier Customs’ signature aluminum scrambler unit. Lou then hand-made a
set of aluminum side panels and fenders (to Stefano’s spec) to complete
the bodywork.
Unlike most customs, the seat’s been designed for two people—and the
subframe’s gone untouched. “We’re trying to keep the two-seater setup,”
says Stefano, “and all the comforts that an everyday motorcycle should
have.”
In keeping with that philosophy, the V7’s also retained its original
switchgear—but the handlebars have been swapped out for a set of
Renthals. The lights and turn signals have also given way to more svelte
items.
The cockpit’s been cleaned up further with a neat GPS speedo. (Look
closely, and you’ll spot the Venier Customs logo on its face.)
Since Stefano was working on a modern, reliable motorcycle, he left
the engine alone—save for a set of vintage-looking “small block”
cylinder head covers. A new set of mufflers were supplied by partners Mass Moto, developed especially for the ‘Tractor’ series.
Suspension specialists Ikon
also came on-board, hooking Stefano up with a new set of shocks. The
wheels are stock, but they’ve been stripped, powder-coated and
reassembled. Continental’s popular TKC80 tires round off the package.
The V7’s new livery is as sublime as we’ve come to expect from the
Venier stable. A dark matte green dominates the bike—broken by a black
stripe, with a gold logo and pinstripes.
Venier Customs’ Tractor series is good enough to make you wish that
Moto Guzzi would start taking notice. Customers certainly are: 04 and 05
are already in the queue.
Venier Customs website | Photos by Alex Logiaski
First published on bikeexif.com
It’s a common sight to see Formula One drivers zooming up and down the
pit lane on scooters. But many of these hardcore racers have more
serious motorcycles secreted away in their personal garages. Guys like
Lewis Hamilton, Jensen Button, Mark Webber and Michael Schumacher are
all two-wheeled aficionados—and many enjoy customizing their bikes too.
Ayrton Senna da Silva, perhaps the most talented Formula One driver
of all time, was also a keen motorcyclist. This year is the twentieth
anniversary of Senna’s passing at Imola, so the German builder (and
motorcycle racer) Marcus Walz has just created a stunning limited edition Moto Guzzi Le Mans in his honor.
Marcus Walz is a familiar face in the Formula 1 pit lane: his customers
include Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen, David Coulthard and Gerhard
Berger. As you can imagine, his work is very much in the premier
league—and this Le Mans is no different.
Three Senna tribute bikes have been created, based on 1970s Moto
Guzzis from the Le Mans Mark I series. They’re completely rebuilt from
the ground up, with custom bodywork finished in colors inspired by
Senna’s famous helmet designs, taken from the Brazilian flag and painted by Sid Mosca.
Walz has punched the 850cc engine out to 1040cc, and it now delivers an
easy 90hp; weight has dropped to around 175kg (385 lbs). The custom
sheet metal is 1.5-millimeter aluminum, including the custom gas tank,
seat section and front fender.
Moto Guzzi’s famously sweet-handling frame has been sandblasted,
detabbed and powder-coated for an even better than factory finish. Walz
has upgraded the suspension too, with new fork tubes, internals, and
progressive springs. Out back are YSS Z-Series shocks, with adjustable
preload, rebound and length.
The 18” original Le Mans cast wheels are now black powdercoated and
fitted with ContiRoadAttack 2 Classic Race rubber: 110/80 at the front,
and 130/80 at the back.
Brembo two-piston calipers are on braking duty at both ends, now
clamping on drilled stainless steel rotors. The rearsets are
hand-fabricated and fully adjustable, and the clip-on bars are from
high-end German specialist LSL.
The styling is classic, the power-to-weight ratio is ample, and the
engineering is immaculate. We think Ayrton would have approved.
Walzwerk Racing | Facebook | Instagram
The post Ayrton Senna tribute by Marcus Walz appeared first on Bike EXIF
In 1901 Dr Duncan McDougal, by way of measuring bodies at the moment
of death, proposed that the human soul weighed just 21 grams. I disagree
with Dr McDougal’s theory. I’m sure mine weighs far more as it would go
some way to explaining why I look like a burst sausage in my leathers.
Thankfully, for Philippe Carzo, the science and poetry of the theory
inspired him to get in the workshop.
With Guzzi Le Mans of all marks becoming rarer and more expensive the
relatively unloved G5 provided the perfect base. Big bore engine, Tonti
frame and sporting triple discs, it’s difficult to ask for a more
splendid starting point for a custom machine. However, Paolo Martin’s
original design is very ‘of it’s time’ and Philippe wanted a more
classic Café look.
A man of many talents, Philippe is a physiotherapist by day, but for
20 years now, has honed his fabrication skills. Be it panel beating,
bronze welding, or moulding carbon fibre, Philippe has sought out and
learnt from masters in each field, eager to learn their craft. This
means he has been able to work on every aspect of the bike himself, bar
the upholstery. The hand beaten, long and low tank is testament to his
handiwork.
The thumping 1000cc engine had been rebuilt by the previous owner,
providing more than adequate propulsion. While the gasses pumped out
through the hand-made exhausts ‘sing like a Stradivarius’ according to
Philippe! A shortend and looped rear frame hides under the alloy seat
cowl contrasting with the reddish-brown leatherwork, and captured by the
lens of Arnaud Viac.
A Harley Davidson 48 headlight and Tarozzi rearsets are the few parts
not crafted by Philippe, and add a dash of modern. Hooked up to
handmade linkages, the rearset foot controls stretch you out along the
bike. A new loom was made, providing a reliable source of sparks and
ensuring no Italian electrickery would call time on riding. Laser cut
badges adorn the tank reminding Philippe of the soulful inspiration.
Purposely left imperfect, the frame has been left uncoated and bears
the wear and tear of the bike’s life. It ties nicely to the raw
metalwork, the bike is far away from a show queen and makes me to want
to hop on and head for the Route Napolean. It’s been Philippe’s daily
rider for 2 years now and he always enjoys being asked how old the bike
is. The Guzzi’s timeless looks are now far away from the late 70’s
refugee it once was.
Keep an eye out for Philippe’s next bike, an XT600 with a handbuilt aluminium frame. Can’t wait to see that!
https://www.facebook.com/21grammesmotor?fref=ts
First appeared in http://thebikeshed.cc
Written by Martin Hodgson.
Building a custom motorcycle that does one thing well is an
achievement in of itself, building a custom motorcycle that is capable
of being three different bikes is exceptional, from a first time builder
it is a Herculean effort. This Guzzi is an automotive piece of
sculpture, built for breaking records on the salt flats and registered
for the road, it’s three bikes in one and it completes each task with
flawless perfection.
The bike is the creation of Los Angeles artist David Miezal who took
his inspiration from German speed merchant Ernst Jakob Henne and the
speed trial bikes from days of old. Simple, defined and minimalistic
with the purpose of going absolutely flat out across the salt. David
started with a 1975 Moto Guzzi 850T, the Italian sports tourer that was
arguably the makes best bike of the 70’s. With a strong motor and
drivetrain the decision was made to simply give it a freshen up, new
seals and gaskets and a carby clean means the bike will run all day
long. While modern wiring, new Dyna coils and an updated regulator make
the electrics just as reliable.
As an artist with a certain vision in mind David stripped the bike
bare revealing a blank canvas with which to work. The frame and forks
were all de-tabbed, all the unrequired cosmetic clutter was disposed of
and anything that doesn’t serve an essential purpose destined for the
scrap bin. Both the handlebars and the exhaust were meticulously
handcrafted from stainless steel, while the custom under seat electrics
box is finished with welds that match the original beads laid down in
the factory. Wanting to maintain a certain patina the engine,
transmission casing and wheels were all carefully cleaned by hand with
David not wanting to remove any of the staining.
Increasing the visual impact of the bike is the distressed leather
used to cover the custom created seat, tank and fender pads. The scars
matching well with the hand sculpted and lightly stained body reminding
all that this bike really lives. The switch blocks, lights and
indicators are long gone, with just GT grips to hang onto, custom
rearsets and polished levers to keep control and a single tacho being
all that David requires.
With ambitions of top speed salt flat passes and the ability to ride
on the street the suspension and tyres of 40 years ago were never going
to do the job. The smoothed out front forks now sport Wirth progressive
springs and FAC dampers while the rear is controlled by vintage Bitubo
shocks. All of which keeps the new Avon racing rubber firmly pressed
into the chosen surface of the day.
Nicknamed Heracles, both the Italian custom creation and the Greek
God exhibit a defined masculinity, strength, courage and ingenuity that
will maintain their legend status forever more. And when it’s not doing
the ton on the salt or cruising the streets, just like its name sake ,
this Guzzi would be equally at home in a museum, where even static it
can be admired.
first appeared in http://www.pipeburn.com
osted by Hugo Eccles on Jul 25, 2014 in Pro Builds, Untitled Motorcycles | No Comments
The story of this most recent build from Untitled Motorcycles
begins back in 2007 when owner Patrick Price bought a Guzzi Tonti frame
off eBay with the plan of a 6-month project. Seven years later, he had a
pile of bits, enough to build a complete bike, but had lost his passion
for the project. Surfing the Internet, considering selling the whole
thing, Patrick stumbled across Untitled Motorcycles.
“I didn’t even know there was a scene like this,” says Patrick. “It was exactly what I wanted: no plastic, pared down, harking back to the ’50s.” He
got in touch with Adam at Untitled who, by coincidence, had a rendering
of a proposed Guzzi project which perfectly matched Patrick’s vison.
“This bike’s not about speed,” says Adam. “Patrick wanted something that gave a relaxed riding style so he could roll along, hear the engine and enjoy the ride.” Patrick adds, “Modern
bikes aren’t to my taste- too much plastic and I have no wish to break
the sound barrier. I want to be able to enjoy the ride in comfort and to
have a proper motorcycle sound.”
When the boxes of bits arrived at Untitled, they discovered that
Patrick had an original, unused V7 Sport tank and period Borriani spoked
alloy rims. Patrick continued to source parts as the build progressed. “It’s a big help to us when customers do that because it means we can focus on the build,” explains Adam.
Untitled began cleaning the frame by removing all unnecessary
brackets and tabs. The unsightly battery plate was discarded and a new
gel battery relocated under a custom single seat upholstered by Glen
Moger. The sub frame was shortened by 20cm and LED indicators from
Motorcycle Parts Online Store installed into the tube ends with custom
plastic mounts machined for fit. A brand new wiring loom was installed
throughout the bike.
New brackets were added to the frame to support the short rear
mudguard, and a Vincent-style stop light was mounted with a UMC-designed
alloy bracket. “It’s really annoying having to make a bracket each time, so we’ve had a batch laser cut and are offering them to customers,”
says Adam. Once complete, the frame, forks and yokes were sent off to
Armourtex Power Coaters in Hackney for a high-gloss black powder-coat
finish.
The engine and gearbox remain stock on the bike, albeit with a
complete inspection and rebuild by Rex, UMC’s chief mechanic. Most
components were in good condition and retained with new big end shells,
new rings, valves, guides, timing chain, seals and gaskets throughout.
The cast alloy cases were sent to Middlesex Re-Bore in Mill Hill for
cleaning and sand blasting.
UMC opted to keep the original Bosch electrics and points, deciding against electronic ignition. “We’ve had some poor results with electronic ignition in the past, and the basic maintenance with points is better,” explains Rex. A good starter motor is also important on these big twins, so UMC installed a reconditioned Bosch starter.
The carbs are the stock 32mm Dellortos with custom in-line manifolds.
Nate at Gabriel Hounds designed and 3D-printed the custom manifolds,
which were then cast in alloy. “We even got to incorporate the Untitled Motorcycles logo,” explains Nate.
The original exhaust headers were kept and new mid-sections welded to
join the upswept silencers. The completed pipes were sent to Camcote
Performance Coating for ceramic coating. “It’s an incredible thin
coating that doesn’t rust. Conventional paint isn’t anywhere near as
durable,” says Adam.
At the front, flat Vincent bars carrying UMC’s trademark minimal
controls and hidden wires operate the front and rear brake masters, now
relocated under the fuel tank. To keep the cafe racer profile the
original headlight brackets were inverted to lower the headlight level
with the top of the fuel tank. The BSA-style headlight houses a Smiths
chronometric speedometer with bespoke UMC cables to marry the British
and Italian drives.
The stock Marzocchi forks and Brembo calipers were refurbished and
the original Borriani rims polished and shod with Michelin M45 dual
sport tyres, an UMC favourite. The distinctive green colour, a reference
to the iconic 1970s V7 Sport’s lime green paint scheme, was applied by
Dennis at D-Luck’s Custom Paint Workshop in Brighton.
Since Patrick’s been on the project for seven years, it seems only right that he have the last word: “Together we’ve achieved a gorgeous machine, it’s my ideal bike and no one else has one like it. These guys are good.”
See more from Untitled Motorcycles on their posh new Website, The Bike Shed’s UMC Pages or on Facebook.
Photos by Ludovic Robert
First posted on http://thebikeshed.cc
If you grew up in the 1970s, you probably look back fondly on the
Formula One cars of that era. The Marlboro McLarens, the Martini
Brabhams, and best of all, the svelte John Player Special Lotuses.
Axel Budde of Hamburg-based Kaffeemaschine
is a fan of those glory days, and so is his client Arnd Rohrlapper. So
they concocted the idea of a 1970s-style cafe racer in the iconic JPS
black-and-gold livery. Here’s the finished bike, based on a Guzzi Le
Mans Mk III, and it sure looks good.
The Mk III was probably the best of Guzzi’s Le Mans variants. The
styling was angular and idiosyncratic, but the core of the machine was
strong and characterful—hence its popularity with custom builders today.
This particular creation, the eleventh to roll out of Budde’s Hamburg
workshop, has been stripped down and rebuilt with performance in mind.
There’s a capacity boost to a liter via new cylinders and pistons, with
output bumped up even further thanks to sportier cam timing, revised
valves and twin-spark heads. Electronic ignition, modified carbs and a
balanced crank complete the engine mods.
The transmission and shaft drive have been overhauled to cope with the
extra horses, with an uprated clutch to harness the power. The exhaust
is custom made—with removable decibel killers—and based on a vintage
race unit.
Power is nothing without control, so Budde has upgraded the brakes
with modern master cylinders and stainless lines, and refreshed the
suspension. The overhauled forks are sporting FAC dampers and
custom-spec Ikon shocks keep the rear end planted.
And that exquisite tank? It’s a Magni replica, with just enough curves to highlight the famous John Player Special livery.
We reckon it’s schmokin’.
Visit the Kaffeemaschine website for more information about Axel’s bikes, and get the latest Kaffeemaschine news via Facebook.
The post Guzzi Le Mans by Kaffeemaschine appeared first on Bike EXIF.
It must be said that today we take a lot for granted. Go back 80
years and things would be very different. No mobile phones, no internet,
and riding a motorcycle was an adventure in itself. This was the era
that Triumph deemed automatic engine lubrication to be superfluous, that
the riders of their machines could be trusted to manually work the oil
pump as the bike needed it. Could you imagine doing that today on your
UJM or custom? This was also the era that a small motorcycle firm named
Moto Guzzi came to prominence. From their initial launch in 1921 of the
‘Normale’ model, the Guzzi brand thrived and made a name for itself by
showing the passion Italians are so well known for. Today’s feature bike
comes from the fledgling days of Moto Guzzi, just over a decade after
the initial model launch, this V model bike was born. And 80 years on it
looks just as good as ever.
Pumping out 18hp at 4300rpm, the horizontal single cylinder OHC motor
can push the bike to a dizzying (for it’s day) 120kmh. Although the
model V bike was produced from 1934-40, the engine evolved over the
years, culminating in the racing engine found in the ‘Dondolino’ sports
model of the 1950s. The engine technology is definitely agricultural,
but aesthetically pleasing. External valve springs, a decompression
lever and open face ‘bacon slicer’ flywheel make up componentry that in
it’s day was the norm, but have all been relegated to motorcycle
Valhalla.
Today’s bike is in the ownership of photographer Marc Schneider, a
motorcycle fan who inherited the V after his father passed on. Marc’s
father picked up the big red bike along with a Super Alsace as part of a
package deal in 1981, and with little history known about this V model.
The Moto Guzzi V was parked in a garage for over three decades and on
inheriting it Marc adjusted the timing, fiddled with the carbs and the
bike started with no issues.
By Marc’s own admittance, the bike is far from perfect, but he
wouldn’t change it. As such, a breakdown on the way to the studio for
the photoshoot, left the Moto Guzzi not running and a kilometre away
from the studio. Such is the fun of owning a vintage motorcycle.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. According to Marc: “Fiddling with
the friction dampers and the ignition timing is fun. And the sound the
old thumper makes a joy. That’s why I’m happy to ride a bike that has
lived for 80 years – and I’m looking forward to the next 80 years.”
First appeared in pipeburn.com
Written by Ian Lee.
